Sidmouth Raiders Under-15s battled well in their latest Exeter and District Youth League match, a fixture that ultimately saw them narrowly beaten 2-0 by a formidable Dawlish side.

With the South Devon side having won their previous league game 9-0, Raiders travelled knowing they would be in for a tough game.

It was the home side that enjoyed the vast majority of possession, but Raiders did well to deal with the pressure. The efforts from across the team were made all the more impressive given that the team was without the talented striker that is Freddie Dorman – the youngster was out injured – and so the usual slick, and clinical, counter attacking outlet was unavailable to them.

Raiders did well to hold their opponents at bay until the stroke of half-time when Dawlish were able to prod home the opening goal with what proved to be the final touch of the half.

After the break there was more of the same with the home team dominating large swathes of the contest, but organised and disciplined play from Raiders continued to keep them at arm’s length.

Dawlish were largely restricted to long-range efforts that Raider’s cool-headed keeper Freddie Whitelock was able to deal with.

A certain level of frustration was starting to creep into the game with niggly fouls from both sides becoming more frequent.

Unfortunately at was at this point a huge Dawlish ‘strongman’ midfielder was able to muscle his way through the Raiders’ defence to double the score and put paid to any Sidmouth hopes of an equaliser.

What’s more, the second goal arrived just as wing wizard Ryan Kubaczka was starting to pose questions of the Dawlish defence.

Other plusses on the day for Raiders were the performances of right-back Jamie Salter, who put in another accomplished shift, and Zac Lascelles, who brought plenty of determination and controlled aggression into the team when introduced from the bench.

The defeat leaves Raiders sitting sixth in the fledgling table and they are back in action this coming Saturday (October 6) with a local derby visit to Sidford.